Push Me Away : Book 2 of the Teeth Series

9

Disappointed. Adjective. To be sad or displeased because someone or something has failed to fulfill one's hopes or expectations. Fallon felt the textbook definition of disappointed the following morning when she woke up, her hair a knotted blue sea swirling around the crown of her head on her bright white pillowcase, and realized that she was alone.

The night before had happened. The bruises on her thighs in the shape of Calum's hands along with the trail of purple marks he had left scattered across her chest were the solid proof that the things she remembered hadn't only been a figment of her imagination.

So where the fuck was Calum?

She wanted to believe that things were fine. Perhaps she was overreacting and he was just in the kitchen making them breakfast. It was definitely in his wheelhouse and her mind replayed mental images of the many times before that he had surprised her with breakfast in bed. She used those memories to propel herself out of bed and down to the kitchen, doing her best to ignore the dull ache between her thighs as she walked.

Calling out his name she was met with only silence and a quick scan of her apartment revealed no traces of him. He was simply...gone.

Frustrated, she made her way back to her bedroom feeling confused and let down by his disappearance. There were things they needed to talk about, talk through. Her expectations the night before had them spending the day discussing the events of the night before along with their therapy homework but those hopes had clearly been dashed.

When she reached her bedroom again she unplugged her phone from the charger and her thumb hesitated over his name in a text message notification. She wanted to know what he had said. She hoped he had some kind of valid explanation but another part of her wanted to be annoyed and frustrated and that same piece of her also wanted to ignore him completely or at least leave him on read.

In the end, her curiosity got the best of her and she opened his text. She let her eyes wander away from her phone, taking a big breath in and releasing it slowly as she finally allowed herself to read the words on her screen.

Sorry to bail on you. Boys and I have studio time this morning. I'll see you at Dr. Stevens tomorrow.

Her entire face scrunched as she read and reread his text. Obviously she couldn't hear his tone though a written message but in her head it sounded so methodical and cold. Not at all like the caring and kind Calum that had filled her bed only hours before.

While she wasn't completely surprised that Calum was retreating from her and the emotions their sexual encounter had apparently awakened to scare him off she couldn't help but to  be—disappointed.

*

Calum hated himself a little bit for the way he ran out of Fallon's place the morning after they slept together. The very last thing he was sure she needed was his wishy-washy attitude. He didn't intend to be so unsure of his actions but he didn't seem to be in control. Every time he thought he was making headway with the whole thing the world seemed determined to remind him of all the things he was trying so desperately to forget. He hated admitting it, but their shared past had crept up in the back of his mind and like a coward, he had run off.

While he wished he was more of a man, more of the person he knew Fallon needed him to be, there was something to be said for his own self preservation tendencies. He doubted anyone who knew their story would blame him for being a bit timid when it came to his relationship with Fallon Harding.

If there was one thing that surprised him it was that Fallon didn't respond to his text. Never in the time that Calum had known her had Fallon been the type to hold her tongue. One of the things he most admired about her was her ability to be fearless and speak her mind when she disapproved of something. He had always been a bit jealous as he tended to overthink and worry too much for others feelings and often it led to his own detriment. Fallon though, he had witnessed her more than once in all of her confident and disapproving glory. He much preferred when her irritation and disapproval was directed at someone other than him. This time however, his excuse was met with only silence and to be honest, Calum thought he might have preferred to face her wrath.